The Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition continues to partner with Ledgelight Health District to provide awareness, support, and resources for all community members.  Deaths from opiate use disorders have been rising in Connecticut, as well as an increased supply of fentanyl in found in street drugs across the state.   

Summertime is almost here! It’s a time for kids to take a break and have fun, but studies also show it’s a time when we see an increase in the likelihood that kids will experiment with harmful substances.  

In 2021, 100K+ people died from drug overdoses driven by fentanyl, and the fastest-growing group is under 19. 

73% of teens have never heard of fake prescription pills being made with fentanyl, and accidental fentanyl poisoning is killing kids in every community across the country. 

Fentanyl is:

• A potent prescription synthetic opioid drug approved by the FDA for pain relief and anesthetic.
• Fentanyl is 80-100 times stronger than morphine.
• A potentially lethal dose of fentanyl is the size of 2 grains of salt.
• According to the DEA, 2 out of 5 pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

Important things you need to know about fentanyl:

• You can’t smell or taste fentanyl, and you cannot tell if a pill is fake just by looking at it.
• Do not take any pill that you do not directly get from a doctor or pharmacist. 
• Pills purchased online or from social media are not safe — no matter what someone tells you.
• If you or someone around you takes an illegal pill, know how to recognize an opioid overdose.

Awareness is key, and we need to educate our kids right now. Preparation is important to having a successful conversation with your child. To help you with this challenging conversation, we’d like to give you a link to the free Natural High Fentanyl Toolkit: www.naturalhigh.org/fentanyl. 

Together, through better and more effective awareness resources, we can save lives. 

Even if substance use is the last thing you need to worry about with your child, imagine, perhaps, that their awareness could help save a friend.  

Please contact Allison Behnke, MSW-  LOLPC Prevention Coordinator with any questions or for more information about being involved in the work of our Prevention Coalition.   abehnke@lysb.org